The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Roman Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft, but former Steelers front office member and Buffalo Bills GM Doug Whaley wishes the Steelers had done more at the position during the draft. During an appearance on The Coaches Roundtable on The Armstrong Neighborhood Channel, Whaley talked about the need to add across from George Pickens and that he views Pickens as a No. 2 receiver, not a true No. 1.
“Besides George Pickens, they’re not gonna be an explosive offense. They’re gonna be a ground-and-pound, three yards and a cloud of dust, take what’s given. Roman is gonna be that slot, like you said, convert those third-and-fives, third-and-six, he’ll be in the slot doing those choice routes and stuff,” Whaley said.
He added that he doesn’t think Pickens is a No. 1 receiver due to his route tree and that the Steelers should’ve added someone who could potentially blossom into a No. 1 or No. 2 if the team views Pickens as a No. 1.
“I wish they would’ve gotten a complementary receiver to George, ’cause I still think George is a number two. I don’t see him as a number one,” Whaley said. “He doesn’t run the complete route tree, he does have big plays, but it’s always vertically cutting routes. It’s not routes that come back, routes that you break it off, choice routes, stuff like that. So to me, they need a number one, and possibly a number two because I think George is a number two, if you want to think him as a number one, then you need a number two.”
Whaley said that teams can eliminate big plays if defenses try to scheme Pickens out of the game, and having another receiver across from Pickens could help create more splash.
Ultimately, there just wasn’t much of an opportunity for the Steelers to address receiver and take someone who could be that No. 2 opposite Pickens unless they didn’t address offensive tackle and center with Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier with their first two picks. There’s still a chance, and a pretty good one, that the Steelers continue adding to their wide receiver room either via trade or free agency to get that bigger No. 2 receiver who can play opposite Pickens while utilizing Wilson in the slot.
The Steelers plan on playing physical football this year with Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator and didn’t make a splashy add at receiver early in the draft, instead opting to beef up the trenches. I don’t necessarily agree that Pickens can’t be a No. 1 wideout given that he put up 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and eight touchdowns last season, but the talent around him is lacking at the moment. Wilson was a solid add and has the versatility to play outside or in the slot, but he is likely better suited for a slot receiver role and the Steelers know they have to add someone else to complement Pickens and give their quarterback, be it Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, another weapon in the passing game.
If the Steelers didn’t view Pickens as a No. 1, it’s unlikely they would’ve traded Diontae Johnson, which created their hole at receiver in the first place, and even more unlikely that they would’ve passed on receiver in the first two rounds if that remained the thought. So while the Steelers will continue to add, it might not be a really splashy move, but it would be a surprise if another solid receiver who could start on the outside opposite Pickens wasn’t added between now and the start of training camp.
